Simple Cake Recipes For Beginners

A simple vanilla cake recipe is the perfect introductory cake for beginners, as well as a versatile standby for more experienced bakers to have on hand. While there’s a whole, huge, hyper-calorific world of complicated cakes out there to explore, from red velvet cakes to lemon drizzle cakes, this easy cake recipe is where it all begins and it's worth mastering so you can get the basics of cake making under your belt before you start to jazz it up with flavour additions and decorating finesse.

A simple vanilla cake recipe does what it says on the tin: provides you with a delicate, moist and flavourful cake that can serve as a base for something more elaborate, please a host of children clamouring for something sweet or provide a simple sugar fix. This is a cake recipe that works splendidly for birthdays, special occasions, or just that celebrated English ceremony, afternoon tea. We also believe that you never need a reason to make or eat a simple vanilla cake, so have it whenever the urge to bake takes you. It’s the most basic possible combination of eggs, flour, butter and sugar – practically the Platonic ideal of a cake – baked in the oven for 45-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden on top, and a skewer inserted into its side comes out clean.

Once the cake has cooled, slather it with buttercream frosting, pile fruit on top of it, or simply dust it with icing sugar, and it’ll be delightful any way you choose to slice it. You could even turn it into a Victoria sponge by cutting it in half laterally once cool, adding a layer of jam and sticking it back together again – though we also have a very good Victoria sponge recipe to follow for more specific instructions.

Simple Lemon Cake Recipe

If you’re looking for something a little more challenging, we have all sorts of cake recipes to try: we recommend moving on to our easy chocolate cake if you’re a fan of this cake, or chocolate fairy cakes make a nice treat and are fun for kids to make. Or try this easy gluten-free chocolate cake  which uses the ever-versatile ganache in two ways. 

You need a raising agent to help your cake rise, which is why cake recipes often feature self-raising flour. If you only have plain flour, make sure to include a rising agent to go along with it or the cakes and pastries will stay flat. A popular rising agent can be baking powder. 

TopicsCake recipes 151 baking recipes to try Easy recipes everyone should know 50 of the best afternoon tea recipes Desserts and CakesEasy doesn't mean you need to compromise on taste. This simple cake recipe has a rich vanilla flavor with a soft crumb and super moist texture.

Easy Cake Recipes For Beginners

This Super Simple Cake Recipe uses basic ingredients as well as equipment to make a fantastic, tender, and moist cake completely from scratch.

This recipe is genuinely the easiest cake I’ve ever made. Not only that, but with its outstanding vanilla flavor, delectably soft crumb, and super moist texture, it’s not just simple but delicious too!

I’ve been on a mission to make life easier for anyone short on time. I know many people who would like to bake but don’t because dragging out the mixer and tracking down ingredients is just too much trouble. This easy recipe requires nothing more than mixing bowls and a whisk. That’s it! Dessert couldn’t be simpler!

Easy Cake Recipes For Low Effort, Celebratory Desserts

To make your own buttermilk for this recipe, add ¾ tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to ¾ cups of milk (full fat is best, but low fat or skim will work). Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. The mixture may be a little curdled, but that’s just fine.

This recipe makes a 9×13 in cake, two 8-inch rounds, two 9-inch rounds, or 24-36 cupcakes. See the recipe notes for baking times.

To Freeze:This cake freezes beautifully. Leave theunfrosted cakein the pan, cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze for up to a month.

Easy Carrot Cake

Easy doesn’t mean you need to compromise on taste. This simple cake recipe has a rich vanilla flavor with a soft crumb and super moist texture.

Baking Times For Different Pan Sizes: For two 8-inch round pans, bake 30-35 minutes. For two 9-inch round pans, bake 25-30 minutes. For 24-36 cupcakes, 15-20 minutes

Calories: 184 (9%) | Carbohydrates: 25 g (8%) | Protein: 2 g (4%) | Fat: 8 g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 4 g (25%) | Cholesterol: 43 mg (14%) | Sodium: 140 mg (6%) | Potassium: 33 mg (1%) | Fiber: 1 g (4%) | Sugar: 17 g (19%) | Vitamin A: 227 IU (5%) | Calcium: 16 mg (2%) | Iron: 1 mg (6%)

Simple Chocolate Cake

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

To make your own buttermilk for this recipe, add ¾ tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to ¾ cups of milk (full fat is best, but low fat or skim will work). Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. The mixture may be a little curdled, but that’s just fine.

This recipe makes a 9×13 in cake, two 8-inch rounds, two 9-inch rounds, or 24-36 cupcakes. See the recipe notes for baking times.

To Freeze:This cake freezes beautifully. Leave theunfrosted cakein the pan, cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze for up to a month.

Easy Carrot Cake

Easy doesn’t mean you need to compromise on taste. This simple cake recipe has a rich vanilla flavor with a soft crumb and super moist texture.

Baking Times For Different Pan Sizes: For two 8-inch round pans, bake 30-35 minutes. For two 9-inch round pans, bake 25-30 minutes. For 24-36 cupcakes, 15-20 minutes

Calories: 184 (9%) | Carbohydrates: 25 g (8%) | Protein: 2 g (4%) | Fat: 8 g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 4 g (25%) | Cholesterol: 43 mg (14%) | Sodium: 140 mg (6%) | Potassium: 33 mg (1%) | Fiber: 1 g (4%) | Sugar: 17 g (19%) | Vitamin A: 227 IU (5%) | Calcium: 16 mg (2%) | Iron: 1 mg (6%)

Simple Chocolate Cake

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.